Violent Toronto pot dispensary robberies often unreported, police say

Toronto police say there have already been four robberies of storefront marijuana dispensaries so far this year and slammed store owners for not always reporting therobberies to police.

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Two of the four robberies this year were not reported by owners or employees,Supt.BryceEvans told reporters at a police headquarters press conference on Monday morning.

Suspects were armed with gunsin two of the robberies, he said, and in one case, the suspects were armed with knives.

Employees and customers stabbed, pistol-whipped

Six of the 13 known robberies that stretch back to 2016 were not reported by owners or employees, but by customers or people in the area, Evans said.

In10 of those cases, suspects in the robberies were armed with handguns.

Employees and customers at the marijuana dispensaries have been "stabbed, pistol-whipped, pepper-sprayed" in these various robberies, Evans said.

Earlier in January, for instance,three suspectsrobbed The Green Leaf dispensary onDanforthAvenuenear Woodbine Avenue and beat one of its employees, according to police.

"There's no doubt employees and customers have been traumatized by these violent, armed robberies," Evans said.

Evans saidpolice don'tdiscriminate and will notwithholdservices from dispensary staff, but will seize any illegal narcotics found on a premises during a robbery investigation.

'Absolutely a public safety issue'

Previously, Toronto police have come under fire for raids on dispensaries where policebelieved marijuana was being sold illegally.

• Toronto police raid storefront pot shops suspected of trafficking

Back in May 2016, critics called the Project Claudia raids "ridiculous," and some Twitter users said they were a waste of police resources.

Evans defended the raids on Monday, stressing that "marijuana dispensaries are illegal."

ActingInsp. Steve Watts, of the Toronto Drug Squad, said there was debate following the raids about whether dispensaries presenteda public safety issue, adding this is "absolutely a public safety issue now."

About44 dispensaries are currently operating in Toronto, he said, with some locations taking in up to $30,000 a day.

By not reporting robberies to police, Evans said owners and operators of the dispensaries are giving an "open invitation to victimization."